Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what support his Department is providing to veterans to help them become entrepreneurs.

This Government is committed to making sure that our veterans have equitable access and opportunity to a full range of career options after leaving military service, including self-employment, SME (small & medium-sized enterprise) ownership and entrepreneurship.

The Government-owned British Business Bank has a specialist delivery partner, X-Forces Enterprise, for its Start Up Loans programme which specifically supports veterans, members of the wider Armed Forces community and their family members. Since 2013 there have been over 3000 Start Up Loans delivered by X-Forces Enterprise, totalling over £33 million of finance provided.